Caleb James's Blog at LumberJocks.comhttp://lumberjocks.com/CalebJames/blog
Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:57:15 GMTFree Wooden Smoothing Plane Planshttp://lumberjocks.com/CalebJames/blog/35782
So here we go again. It looks like you folks are having fun making some wooden planes so lets add to the fun. Here is a great little coffin shaped smoother for your collection. This is a fantastic size and a great introduction to making a wooden bench plane. The construction of the parts is a very typical arrangement and the size of wood needed to make this is much easier to find.

Here are the plans in several different layouts. The download has four pages. First one is for shop reference with measurements and lays out everything logically but not intended to be to scale. The second is for printing to scale all on one page but is on a large standard size paper of 11” x 17”. The last two pages are for printing to scale on your home printer paper of 8-1/2” x 11”.

NOTE: The plans are in PDF format. If you don’t have a PDF reader Adobe Acrobat is a free software that will make it viewable and printable. Make sure where ever you print it that the “scale” is set to 100% or the measurements won’t be accurate on the print. You may need to unselect “fit to page” when printing.

If I made any errors anywhere in the plans please let me know so I can update them.

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Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:57:15 GMThttp://lumberjocks.com/CalebJames/blog/35782Caleb JamesCaleb JamesFree 18th Century Style 3/4" Wooden Rabbet Plane Planshttp://lumberjocks.com/CalebJames/blog/35188
So in the spirit of getting everyone in the shop and cutting up some wood I decided to post up a measured drawing of a 3/4” wooden rabbet plane in the 18th century style.

It is all wood with the exception of the blade which is easily gotten from Lie-Nielsen here. It features a conical escapement and some simple embellishments that a hand plane, chisel, and #7 sweep gouge can handle.

The plans are basic with a few things that can be easily changed if you like. Such as the bed angle is shown at 55˚, for hardwoods, but could be 45˚or 50˚or even 60˚. I show boxing on the plane but it is of course not a must especially if you are using a hard wood like beech in the first place but it will increase the life of the sole for a heavy user if you decide to add it. And of course you can increase or decrease the width.

NOTE: The plans are in PDF format. If you don’t have a PDF reader Adobe Acrobat is a free software that will make it viewable and printable. The plans are 11”x17” and any print shop can print this or just print it in two pages on your home computer. Make sure where ever you print it that the “scale” is set to 100% or the measurements won’t be accurate on the print.

If I made any errors anywhere in the plans please let me know so I can update them.

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Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:37:27 GMThttp://lumberjocks.com/CalebJames/blog/35188Caleb JamesCaleb JamesDrilling For Chairs #1: Drilling for Post and Rung Chairshttp://lumberjocks.com/CalebJames/blog/33803
Drilling – Post and RungYet more on drilling… Lets look at how I approach drilling for a Danish Modern chair frame. Naturally the tooling that was in vogue during the time a chair was designed and produced will often suit the production of that style the easiest even if other means are developed later on. I find that especially true of windsor pieces. That is why I will do almost all drilling free hand on those pieces but for the Danish Modern pieces most holes will be done on a drill press or even slot mortiser. I will cover the latter method in a future post, which is a must have tool for Wegner designs.

So lets look at my drill press set up. I use a jig that without would otherwise make drilling a post and rung chair a real fumbling awkward mess. I have seen a number of descriptions of ways to do this but none that don’t require something that is specific to each chair design. This jig is just a platform that I can set a specific angle on. It will drill anything from 0º-25º.

Here is how it works. A round dowel is drawn forward or backwards by a treaded shaft. The dowel makes contact with an angled bracket pushing the platform up or lowering it.

I use a cordless drill to drive the shaft, for the sake of speed.

Here are a few photos of a post beginning prepared to drill. The pictures are pretty self explanatory on the order of set up.

The angle is set by a simple gravity/plum bob type angle gage that you can purchase at any home improvement store. I compare the chuck or bit angle to the platform and just adjust the platform to the angle in relation to it.

I use an additional platform with a “V” groove to hold a round part stationary. Square it to the platform edge. Add a clamp to hold it still. (not shown)

Center it on the groove.

Drill!

For posts that are tapered, leave an end on your turning that is equal to the diameter of the largest portion of your turning. This will allow you to base your angle of the hole being drilled on the center line of the part rather than any angled taper.

I will almost always start by drilling the front and rear post and assemble a right half and a left half of a frame. Then follow by drilling the remaining holes on one of the assembled halves at a time then complete by mortising or drilling for the back rest/supports. Now assemble the two halves into a whole. Doing it this way makes the assembly more accurate than trying to drill all the holes and then assembling.

This is the simplest most versatile method I have come to use so far. I will follow up with some discussion of how you can use this jig in connection with sighting angles to drill compound angles. This is really useful for drilling the holes in the back of an elbow chair or something similar.

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Tue, 08 Jan 2013 00:26:36 GMThttp://lumberjocks.com/CalebJames/blog/33803Caleb JamesCaleb JamesDanish Soap Finishhttp://lumberjocks.com/CalebJames/blog/33609
One of the most mysterious things about Danish modern furniture to me when I started making it was this strange soap finish that is talked about so often. I wondered, “What is this all about”?

Well, the easy answer is that it is a soap that is simple washed onto the wood surface. You may wonder how that protects the surface, though. Basically, soaps traditionally where made of oils of some sort or another. Your grandma or great grandma would have used “ivory” soap flakes that where made from vegetable based sources, palm and coconut oils usually. Everything from cloths to who knows what was washed with it.

Why use soap to protect wood surfaces? Wood has pores and those pores will get clogged with dirt and oils from use if not protected. Soap clogs those pore and keeps the dirt and oils out. Also being soap it also releases dirt and oils easily thus keeping it off of the surface.

Wood also benefits by have a finish that slows the exchange of moisture from the wood to the surrounding atmosphere, thus keeping it more stable. Soap finishes aid in doing this like other finishes though to a lesser degree.

The biggest advantage, I believe, is that it leaves woods like white oak and ash looking as natural as the raw wood itself. As a woodworker I love the organic feel this gives a piece. The soap finish is also incredibly smooth to the touch and ages so beautifully.

Some suggest that soap finishes are a lot of maintenance. I have found that since they age nicely I really don’t do anything to maintain their appearance. If it does get soiled, simply wiping the surface with a damp cloth will usually remove whatever is unwanted. Wiping the surface with more of the same soap will freshen it up as well. In Denmark this is often used to finish floors even. I think that attests to its durability and effectiveness as a finish.

I purchase my soap flakes from a U.K. based producer. www.msodistributing.com currently can supply this in the US.

Here is how I prepare my soap finish. I mix boiling water and soap flakes in equal parts, 1/1 ratio. If I am making a large batch I will reduce the water a bit. I only want enough water to dissolve the flakes and it should create a whipped cream like consistency when mixed together but with a thicker body to it, not so airy.

First measure out your flakes and then pour the boiling water in equal parts over the flakes. Let that set long enough for the flakes to absorb the water and it will get a translucent appearance and will become sort of jelly like. Now mix in a bowl until you get the consistency I mentioned above. See photo below.

You can now place a small amount inside a lint free white cotton cloth that is folded over itself. Squeeze the soap through the fibers and to the outer surface. This will thoroughly saturate the cloth with soap. Now wipe it on the surface of your wood. Put on enough to fill the pores. Don’t let it cake on the surface, though. Once it is dry you can knock down any raised grain with 220-320 grit sand paper. Apply one more coat and that is usually sufficient. Finish by buffing with a soft cloth if desired.

To freshen up your finish follow the same steps. If you have a set in stain you can try pouring some boiling water on the spot. The soap will often force the stain loose. Let it dry and reapply a finish.

A note of caution; Do not wet end grain surfaces to heavily. These areas absorb more water than the face grain and can crack if continually saturated. Thus it is best to make your soap with less water and more like a paste. Also coat both sides of a panel, such as a table top, evenly so that it will reduce the potential to cup or warp.

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Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:27:16 GMThttp://lumberjocks.com/CalebJames/blog/33609Caleb JamesCaleb JamesLaguna Tools Jointer Planer Combo and Bandsaw My Worst Nightmare In Progresshttp://lumberjocks.com/CalebJames/blog/15807
I recently purchased a 16” jointer planer combo and 18” 3000 Series Bandsaw from Laguna Tools. It has turned into my worst nightmare. I have spent $6,245.83 on this order. It arrived damaged and I properly noted it on the freight bill. I contacted laguna about the most obvious damage to the band saw. The upper flywheel had come apart in shipping. I rebuilt it and it seems to work fine now.

My nightmare starts really with the jointer. In short this machine should edge join using the fence, face join, and plane. All three functions have defects due to either freight damage of very poor quality control issues. The exception seems to be the fence. It seems to be a straight quality control problem. The way it is packaged couldn’t, in my opinion, have caused damage from shipping. It has a buckle/twist in the center throwing out the fence 3/32 of an inch. I have pictures and have sent them to laguna. Second the jointer tables are out. I spent about 3 hours trying to adjust the out feed table to be level with the cutter head. I is close but doesn’t have enough adjustment in it to make it right. I didn’t bother going on to the in feed table yet. I decided to check the planer for parallel. It cuts heaver on the left side by an 1/8” of an inch! Totally out.

Here is my complant. I feel there customer service has performed very poorly. One person seemed to show concern and actually called me back yet he had no power to make any decisions, in fact everyone so far even the “manager” has to talk to the own to authorize a return for a damaged item. What? Really? This is simple. The item arrived in an unacceptable condition. Either the unit is out from damage or poor quality control. I don’t care but it is not my problem. Yet it is. I am also not going to start drilling out pins as I was told to give more adjustment room for the out feed table. They seem to expect me to do all this work for free. I want to know from others if you think this is right. They have so far refused to take the machine back and give a refund. Which is what I have demanded and I still do. I was threatened or reminded more than once that I would have to return the damaged/defective machine at my freight cost ($400?) plus take a 25% ($1561.45) restocking fee??! That doesn’t sound like standing behind your product to me. I did get and offer finally, after me calling them over and over, of a swop out. They send me a new one and I return the old one. If I don’t accept then too bad for me I guess.

I am now waiting to hear back from them to talk to the owners to see if they will do the right thing. They where already supposed to talk to them and get back to me which didn’t happen. I am totally frustrated and want to know what YOU the woodworking community suggest I should do. Please give me some realistic feedback. I don’t want to bash Laguna I just want them to do the right thing and accept that they have not satisfied this customer and should just take this return.